AP Trooper Kit Assembly
- Thread starter KevVader
- Start date
dashrender
New Member
Thanks for this tip. I have had a scar that has been bothering me and I didnt know how to fix it.
Thanks again.
KevVader
Sr Member
.....back at 'er....MORE trimming....
...forearms.....
I think I f*%ked up this edge!
Some of the trim lines are very faint and/or non-existant. This is where reference pix come in handy.I think the lip should be longer but I can trim/sand it to look good....but a screw up nonetheless....
...not sure which pieces these are.....arm pieces?
...one calf/shin....
...the other calf/shin....
......getting quite the collection if ABS trimmings!
....maybe I'll melt them down and make another helmet!
I've gotten a few questions from fellow AP Kit owners about what to do with fininshing a freshly sanded edge....yes, the gloss will have been sanded off at the edge, but a shot of Novus polish ( Novus 2, 3 for heavier scratches and Novus 1 for a polishing coat) will gloss the edges back up again...
More pix to come tomorrow....I think I'm finally going to try to paint up the helmet after my screw ups with the vocoder.
...either that, or I'll try to finish off trimming all of the pieces as the novelty has worn off!
Stay tuned!
...forearms.....
I think I f*%ked up this edge!
Some of the trim lines are very faint and/or non-existant. This is where reference pix come in handy.I think the lip should be longer but I can trim/sand it to look good....but a screw up nonetheless....
...not sure which pieces these are.....arm pieces?
...one calf/shin....
...the other calf/shin....
......getting quite the collection if ABS trimmings!
....maybe I'll melt them down and make another helmet!
I've gotten a few questions from fellow AP Kit owners about what to do with fininshing a freshly sanded edge....yes, the gloss will have been sanded off at the edge, but a shot of Novus polish ( Novus 2, 3 for heavier scratches and Novus 1 for a polishing coat) will gloss the edges back up again...
More pix to come tomorrow....I think I'm finally going to try to paint up the helmet after my screw ups with the vocoder.
...either that, or I'll try to finish off trimming all of the pieces as the novelty has worn off!
Stay tuned!
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troopermaster
Well-Known Member
Don't worry about leaving an edge/lip on the parts,most real suit's don't have hardly any at all.There seems to be a big misconception that you must have the illusion of thickness to be movie accurate.I found that having no lip on the forearms and biceps helps avoiding pinching and digging into your arms.I say 'helps' but in reality these things NIP :angry
Also,drawing a faint line where you are going to trim helps alot
-Paul.
Also,drawing a faint line where you are going to trim helps alot
-Paul.
KevVader
Sr Member
Originally posted by troopermaster@Mar 25 2006, 07:54 AM
Also,drawing a faint line where you are going to trim helps alot
-Paul.
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...Yup, I typically do trace a trim line with a grease pencil/marker....wipes off easily afterwards.
But.....f&*# ups still do happen.... :$
And your right, I'm sure that the film used suits were not that carefully trimmed and consideration was not given to the perception of thickness of the armour. Having said that tho....that's what I'm going for....
KevVader
Sr Member
Been a few weeks....but I've been a busy lad tonight...finally finished rough trimming all the pieces!...thank God! My Dremel went through quite the workout....amd I'm proud to say that I never broke a cut-off wheel!
Anyways...here's the rest of the kit rough trimmed....
I think these are upper arm inner pieces...
Upper arm outer pieces...
Chest plate before...
...and after...
Ab/crotch plate...
..and after...
Question....should the ab plate be cut seperate from the crotch plate?
Kidney/butt plate...
Shoulder straps...
Knee plate...
...aaaaand belt....
I still have to finish file and sand most of these pieces....that's gonna be fun....NOT!
Also going to finish the helmet off (finally) to break the monotony of filing/sanding....
I bought these very nice lenses off ebay.....darker and much thicker than the lenses strip that comes with the kit...
After all that comes assembly of the armor (God help me!)....stay tuned!
Anyways...here's the rest of the kit rough trimmed....
I think these are upper arm inner pieces...
Upper arm outer pieces...
Chest plate before...
...and after...
Ab/crotch plate...
..and after...
Question....should the ab plate be cut seperate from the crotch plate?
Kidney/butt plate...
Shoulder straps...
Knee plate...
...aaaaand belt....
I still have to finish file and sand most of these pieces....that's gonna be fun....NOT!
Also going to finish the helmet off (finally) to break the monotony of filing/sanding....
I bought these very nice lenses off ebay.....darker and much thicker than the lenses strip that comes with the kit...
After all that comes assembly of the armor (God help me!)....stay tuned!
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Darth Kahnt
Sr Member
Lookin' real good Kev...
KevVader
Sr Member
Well....I tried painting the frown today.....Hmmm...not sure but the shade of gray that I had used (Testors 1138)..... looks too dark to me. I think they used Humbrol on the originals?
I think I messed up the line of the mouth as well....gonna repaint it....
Anyhow...thoughts?....paint #'s?
I think I messed up the line of the mouth as well....gonna repaint it....
Anyhow...thoughts?....paint #'s?
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JoeR
Sr Member
Originally posted by KevVader@Apr 10 2006, 09:29 PM
Well....I tried painting the frown today.....Hmmm...not sure but the shade of gray that I had used (Testors 1138)..... looks too dark to me. I think they used Humbrol on the originals?
I think I messed up the line of the mouth as well....gonna repaint it....
Anyhow...thoughts?....paint #'s?
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I think you need a little less on the teeth area, just paint the actual indivdual teeth. Trooper Pics
Joe
Too Much Garlic
Master Member
Well, iirc, only the RotJ version had paint on the edges of the frown as well as on the teeth, but those were done in black, not grey.
The ESB were black too, but only the teeth were painted, not the edges around them. Similar with the ANH, only those were painted with a grey color.
The Testors 1138 doesn't appear too dark in the picture, though, the flash severely washes out the color. Would be more clear if you could take a picture outside without flash.
And yes, I believe it has been "proven" that they used Humbrol colors on the originals
Impressive work so far. Waiting to see pics of it all finished and the proud owner wearing it... or is it just for display?
yakcam
Sr Member
Looking great Kev :thumbsup
I've avoided using a dremel on mine, I suck at using a dremel, I'm prone to slipping. I just used a set of tin snips and the score and snap method.
I've seen both Testors 1138 and the Humbrol AD 5 grey and they seem very close, so close I don't really think it matters, IMO.
Cheers,
Kraig
I've avoided using a dremel on mine, I suck at using a dremel, I'm prone to slipping. I just used a set of tin snips and the score and snap method.
I've seen both Testors 1138 and the Humbrol AD 5 grey and they seem very close, so close I don't really think it matters, IMO.
Cheers,
Kraig
Gatekeeper
Sr Member
Looks like you're on a roll, Kev. Makes me miss my AP kit... :cry
I see you went for the same lense I did... how are you going to attach them? I've been thinking about silicone... any other ideas?
I see you went for the same lense I did... how are you going to attach them? I've been thinking about silicone... any other ideas?
KevVader
Sr Member
Thanks Kraig...then maybe I'll just stick with the Testors...in the pic it does show up lighter with the flash......I'll see.
Also I see what you all mean about just painting the teeth...should checked my reference pix closer....
NHM....primarily will be used for display...although if I can shoehorn myself into it, I'm sure I'll wear it a few times....I'm more Vader sized....but God knows when I'll ever finish my Vader....it's a constant WIP... :$
SL3844...These lenses are great.....I think I'm just going to use a Superglue pen and put dabs around the socket and stick 'em on. I don't like using silicone or hot glue for lenses...too messy. Once I glue them on I don't envision ever having to remove them again...
Gatekeeper
Sr Member
Those were my thoughts on hot glue as well. I thought about building up a silicone layer around the socket to make a tight fit - however, your solution is far more convenient... guess I'll go with glue as well.
As for the grey color, it shouldn't matter what brand as long as you have a good match to the decals... Sweden is Humbrol country, so there wasn't a lot of choice...
Tried the vinyl sticker on the frown first. Didn't like the outcome, so I ripped it off...
... and painted the frown instead. A lot better, IMO. I wanted the frown to be somewhere in-between stunt and hero, so I didn't paint it all the way.
If you can get hold of Humbrol enamels, the color codes are #5 (Admiral Grey) for the frown, ears & buttons and #15 (Midnight Blue) for remaining buttons.
As for the grey color, it shouldn't matter what brand as long as you have a good match to the decals... Sweden is Humbrol country, so there wasn't a lot of choice...
Tried the vinyl sticker on the frown first. Didn't like the outcome, so I ripped it off...
... and painted the frown instead. A lot better, IMO. I wanted the frown to be somewhere in-between stunt and hero, so I didn't paint it all the way.
If you can get hold of Humbrol enamels, the color codes are #5 (Admiral Grey) for the frown, ears & buttons and #15 (Midnight Blue) for remaining buttons.
Here is my experience with colors.
If I watch my old vhs copy of Star Wars. During the 'hero tk' scenes, the grays look, well, gray. Much like Testors 1138. If I watch the latest 'special' ed. on dvd, it seems that everything is 'bluer', including the grays of course. Does that mean the colors were punched up to be truer to the original colors? Who knows. I'm pretty sure they didn't use Testors paint on the originals.
I went the Humbrol route at first, but the Humbrol gray is a blue-gray and it did not match the decals on my already assembled GF helmet. The Humbrol blue is also darker than what I 'see' on the screen. So the question is, do I go for 'accuracy', or do I go for what I perceive to be right?
For my buttons, I went with Testors and I lightened up the Humbrol blue a tad. Even then, the buttons looked lighter than the mouth. And they are the same shade of gray. Funny how your eye perceives things.
If I watch my old vhs copy of Star Wars. During the 'hero tk' scenes, the grays look, well, gray. Much like Testors 1138. If I watch the latest 'special' ed. on dvd, it seems that everything is 'bluer', including the grays of course. Does that mean the colors were punched up to be truer to the original colors? Who knows. I'm pretty sure they didn't use Testors paint on the originals.
I went the Humbrol route at first, but the Humbrol gray is a blue-gray and it did not match the decals on my already assembled GF helmet. The Humbrol blue is also darker than what I 'see' on the screen. So the question is, do I go for 'accuracy', or do I go for what I perceive to be right?
For my buttons, I went with Testors and I lightened up the Humbrol blue a tad. Even then, the buttons looked lighter than the mouth. And they are the same shade of gray. Funny how your eye perceives things.
hey KevVader,just like to give you a piece of adive that help me when i was assembling my armor.do one piece at a time and look close at the dvds or pick up brak's ref cd (worth every penny).example the knee belt that is attached to the right thigh,look at the dvd to see how wide to trimm it,and how it is attached.don't rely on how someone else did it on there armor because they might have done it wrong.take your time and watch the dvd and assemble it the way it should be.keep up the good work.
